Warrior Politics - Essay Example

Kaplan's striking theories to utilize history as a guide in today's world especially while dealing with war and violence could be attributed to the fact that he has traveled extensively to the war zones and had a first hand experience of the barbarism that prevails. Robert Kaplan after years of reporting from combat zones in Bosnia, Uganda, the Sudan, Sierra Leone, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Eritrea have convinced Kaplan (Balkan Ghosts, The Coming Anarchy) that Thucydides and Sun-Tzu are still right on the money when they wrote that war is not an aberration and that civilization can repress barbarism but cannot eradicate it.

Reminding readers that "The greater the disregard of history, the greater the delusions regarding the future," Kaplan conducts a brisk tour through the works of Machiavelli, Malthus and Hobbes, among others, to support his advocacy of foreign policy based on the morality of results rather than good intentions. From those classics, he extracts historical models and rationales for exploiting military might, stealth, cunning and what he dubs "anxious foresight" (which some may regard as pessimism based on disasters past) in order to lead, fight and bring adversaries to their knees should they challenge the prevailing balance of power.

This is a very valid point when it comes to today's scenario and Kaplan's theories must be tried and experimented.It's very interesting to note that, Kaplan suggests to adapt this model to business, exploring the ways modern-day CEOs can benefit from history's lessons. A clear indication that a lot more can be learnt from the graves of history as well as successfully implementation of the same is bound to show us positive difference. It is just a matter of giving a sincere attempt.Kaplan in his book had a discussion of the world's breeding grounds for rogue warriors out to disrupt daily life in bizarre new ways will strike a chord with most readers, as will his recounting of the brilliant Statesmanship of Churchill and Roosevelt during World War II.

As per him, these instances of the past if replicated in today's war struck world would give a better opportunity to us coping up with the aftermaths of the tragedies.He is of the opinion that this is a provocative, smart and polemical work that will stimulate lively discussion. Agents, Brandt and Brandt. (Jan.)Forecast: Kaplan's credentials, combined with his call for a strong and unambiguous foreign policy, should draw attention. Kaplan looks to ancient philosophers and military strategists for ageless wisdom that can be applied to modern geopolitics.

He argues that the end of the cold war and the proliferation of modern technology threaten to create such complacency that world leaders miss the significance of "nasty little wars in anarchic corners of the globe." Indeed, Kaplan mentions the likelihood of expeditions to apprehend the likes of Osama bin Laden. Integrating classic and contemporary scholarship, the author argues that the ills of the twentieth century are "less unique than we